You can call me a lot of things but a dancer isn’t one. Just Dance 2014 is an exception on the rule however. It’s not all about the dance, it’s mostly about having fun on your own or with friends. Just Dance is the leading dance franchise and just got a little better with this 2014 edition.
Just Dance 2014 is the fifth installment and can be purchased on as good as all current and next gen consoles. The Just Dance franchise is popular and continues to grow each and every year. This year, Ubisoft released the newest edition called ‘Just Dance 2014’ and created what probably is the best dance game at the moment.
When you insert your disc in the system you’ll be welcomed by a lot of bright and crystal clear colors. After creating a new account (or importing the one you used in previous Just Dance games) you’re ready for business. The new menus look very slick and modern and really don’t need any explanation at all. You can pick a mode at the start or you can move the menu to the right to pick a song you’d love to dance on.
The songs in this game are the beating heart. If you like the most modern songs like ‘Roar’ by Katty Perry or ‘Gentleman’ by Psy, you won’t be disappointed. Just Dance 2014 features a lot of popular songs to go crazy on. But it isn’t only modern music that you’ll find, you’ll also find classics like ABBA songs or even Disney’s Aladdin. Just like the other games in the franchise, Just Dance 2014 gives you the best of both worlds. The tracklist really is amazing so you’re sure to go wild on the beats.
Once you decide which song you want to play, it’s time to put on your dancing shoes. Each song comes with a choreography made by real people. This means you’ll see them dancing in very bright and colorful decorations and it’s up to you to be as good as they are. On the bottom right side of the television screen, you’ll see the moves you’ll have to do next. Watching the dancer and the moves at the bottom result in a nice dance routine. Lucky for me and other amateurs, Just Dance isn’t that harsh on you. Even if you don’t place your feet or hands in the exact position, you’ll still gain points. The better you dance, the more points of course but you’ll never end up with empty hands.
After completing a dance, you’ll also gain so-called Mojo-points. These points can be used to unlock nice extra features like a ‘mash-up’ or ‘versus’ mode. Every unlockable mode adds different moves to your dance routine so you’ll have different types of choreography for several songs. This means you’ll be able to play the same song over and over again without getting bored. When you finished every song and you want new ones, there’s also the possibility to buy new ones in the store. You’ll have to pay real money for this but you’ll get real fun in return as well!
Just Dance 2014 is the perfect party-game.
While you’re dancing a couple of songs in a row you’ll start to get warm and even start to sweat. Just like real dancing, Just Dance 2014 is a rather intense game where you can work on your health as well. To make it even a better work out, you can select the Just-Sweat mode and create your own work-out. During this Sweat-mode you’ll see the calories you burn during playing. You can also set a time with a maximum of 30 minutes for the real die-hard. If you want to see your calories in regular songs, you can pick the Free-mode as alternative.
Dancing on your own can be fun but the party really gets started when you invite some friends over. The songs can be played with 4 players (6 on Wii U) where you compete to be the best dancer. Each dancer will gain individual points and the best dancer will gain eternal glory at the end. When you finished dancing, you’ll be able to generate a short video showing off your dance skills. This can be shared on popular social media.
Don’t have dancing friends or too embarrassed to dance with them? Don’t fear, Just Dance 2014 has a superb online implementation. You can join several dances all over the world with just one push on the button. The game will then find other active dancers and will put you in a group where you can compete against each other. This all happens without lag and works really smooth. Even while you’re selecting songs, you can jump straight into the online world when there’s a little globe next to the song in the menu. Online play isn’t something that stands alone, it’s fully integrated in the singleplayer and Ubisoft deserves all credit for this achievement.
Just Dance 2014 proves itself once more as the perfect party-game. It’s a perfect game to spend a night with friends or to play before going out in the city. Ubisoft didn’t reinvent the franchise but made it just that little better. If you’re a professional dancer or an amateur, you’ll have fun for sure with this game. Don’t hesitate and put on those dancing shoes to start the new season of Just Dance!
